The pizza is worth the wait and the craft beer is not bad either.

For all their nonchalance, though, I'll give the servers here their credit where it's due: They're all perfectly friendly and they all know their beer, despite the fact that none of them look old enough to drink. It's a tribute to Mellow Mushroom's commitment to craft beer that their servers should be knowledgeable enough about the lineup to be able to recommend a Live Oak hefeweizen to someone who asks for an alternative to 312's Urban Wheat Ale.

Most importantly, though, Mellow Mushroom simply offers a solid pizza, sold in three basic sizes: ten, 14 and 16 inches. I just wish that you didn't have to commit to a whole pie at dinner (you can order by-the-slice at lunch only), because I want to try them all. That's how good every pizza has been so far.

I didn't quite know what I was getting myself into the first time I ordered here, and chose the small Red Skin Potato Pie, expecting thin slices of potatoes and a few caramelized onions scattered across the top. What I got was an exuberantly silly pizza that was basically covered with potato skins. Bacon bits, two types of cheese, sour cream and chives — plus spicy Ranch dressing, because this is Texas — all jostled for space, and I ate as much as I could — a single fat, gallbladder-wrecking slice — with glee.

Troy Fields

The Thai Dye pie with curry chicken is only one of the colorful, creative pizzas on the menu.

I dove just as eagerly into my friends' pizzas that night, all of us glad to share: a Buffalo Chicken pie with a flourish of Frank's Red Hot sauce amid the chicken and blue cheese debris, and a Thai Dye with curried chicken jutting out brightly from a field of tomatoes, cucumbers, basil leaves and a red spiral of sweet chile sauce.

On a return visit, I switched between a shrimp- and andouille-sausage-topped Bayou Bleu with a base of spicy blue cheese and a Maui Wowie with ham, pineapple and jerk chicken that bounced off a garlicky pesto base. Both times, I could only manage one slice each before the flavors tilted from "enjoyably over-the-top" to "full-tilt saturation," but it was a hell of a ride.

Splitting pizzas is just one reason to visit Mellow Mushroom in a group. (I'd also advise splitting the impressively massive hoagies.) It's also one of the only places in town I know of where you can order a pitcher of top-notch, tough-to-find beers like Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan or Franconia Kolsch for about $20. And the bottled-beer list is nothing to scoff at, either.

In fact, despite offering a great selection of pizzas, Mellow Mushroom may just also be the best bar to come along in Spring in a great many years. (Sorry, Olde City Pub; I love the fact that patrons can still smoke inside your hallowed halls, but Mellow Mushroom's got you beat.) The prices are more than reasonable, and you can even design your own beer flight if you can't choose just one.

Whatever your reason to visit Mellow Mushroom, though, take a tip from the mushroom men outside before you go: Grab a pint of beer, chill out and relax. You might be here awhile, but that's okay; Mellow Mushroom is a good trip.

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My first experience with Mellow Mushroom was in Atlanta followed by Baton Rouge. When I visited the Houston branch I was somewhat disappointed. First off, it was dimly lit and they were going for that industrial look, unlike Atlanta and BR. Second, although they made a decent attempt at a well rounded craft beer list, it lacked any premium pilsners (i.e. Live Oak, Karbach or even PU in the bottle ) which is my go to when I am having pizza. The one beer they did have that might have worked (Franconia Dunkel) was poorly kept, I suppose because of lack of turnover. The pie was above average. Would I go back...maybe...but not anytime soon.

OCP is a dump, like being in some creepy old man's house -- my friends like the trivia but I won't step foot in that dirty dive again (they put the far preferable Ashbury's out of business in the early 2000's). I'm from Klein and you won't catch me going back for good pizza or otherwise, besides FM1960 is a din of crime these days sure isn't the same place I grew up in in the 80's and 90's people getting shot for a pair of nike's, carjackings at walmart, SWAT standoffs etc. Seems like the inner city relocated out there as a result of gentrification.